Staying Organized - Is It Possible?

Staying organized and clutter free is a constant battle for me.  My profession involves reconciling data across multiple sources and reports.  Have I lost you yet?  I am pretty good at keeping track of data on paper and on my computer, but it's the tangible items I struggle to keep organized and in their place.  Perhaps I have too many tangible items, or perhaps having two small children and all their tangible items are just too much for me to keep up with.

A co-worker will be welcoming a new baby into her home soon and she has enlisted the help of an organizing professional.  What a great idea, but it comes with a cost that I'm not yet willing to shell out.  I've been doing some research on ways to get and stay organized and here are a few things I've purchased to help us get started....

Thin Felt Hangers - I redid my closet with these beauties and I was able to reclaim a ton of space.  These hangers are almost life changing.

Over the Door Shoe Organizer - From Crate and Barrel.  Very solid construction and materials.  This also saved a lot of space in my closet.

Container Store Dot Baskets - We use these in all closets in our house and for the girls toys.  They are easy to clean and easy to grasp with the handles.  These baskets have been roughed up quite a bit and have held up really well.

Paper Source File Folders - These little pretties actual make me file more often.  They really do!

The one thing I really need to focus on this year is purging, especially as my youngest is quickly going from one size of clothes to the next and progressing to a new stage of age appropriate toys.  I should carve out a little time each month to get rid of the things we no longer need or use.  Perhaps these purging tips can help?

Oh, the garage...

Work has steadied for now and I want to start some projects at home. In order to execute on some of my ideas I need to get the house organized. I need to purge, to organize, to shred, to donate and to take to the dump/recycling center.

I started with the garage, the place where all things go to be forgotten. It was 9:00 pm on a Friday night; I had reached my limit and started cleaning. It’s a 2-car garage and we couldn’t walk from the front to the back. I didn’t like opening the garage door that faces the street because it was embarrassing. Over the course of the next couple weeks and after four trips to Goodwill, one trip to the dump (another planned soon) and many hours organizing all the bins of stuff, it’s now in pretty good shape. It’s still a work in progress but we can almost park a car in it, a Smart Car.

I’ve also cleaned out Abby’s closet, the guest room closet, my closet, the finished building in our back yard and my car. Next on the list are the hall closets, finishing with the garage, and starting on the kitchen. I need to have a sense of order before I can embark on a new streak of creativity. I really should have taken before and after pictures.

So far, I have learned more than how to optimize space in a small house, I have learned that I don’t need to keep everything I have ever purchased or been given. I have learned that while being wife, mom, dog owner, friend and employee that I can no longer tackle projects in one day. I have learned that I have to be patient, I have to be okay with work in progress and I have to be persistent (it’s so easy to start a project and not finish it). I have learned that this is not failure, it’s not laziness, it’s reality.

Now for the elephant in the room. It will be interesting to see what happens with the classic 1966 MGB that has been sitting idle in the garage for 5 years. It either needs to be made fully usable (engine finished, painting done, windshield and top installed, bumpers put on, etc) or find a new home. I just looked online and found what it could like if it gets finished. Don’t tell my husband, but I think I want to keep it now…